AMARILLO, Texas -- The last of the nation's most powerful nuclear bombs is being disassembled, nearly half a century after it was put into service at the height of the Cold War.

The final components of the B53 bomb will be dismantled Tuesday at the Pantex Plant near Amarillo. It's the only nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility in the U.S.

First put into service in 1962, the B53 weighed 10,000 pounds and was the size of a minivan. According to the American Federation of Scientists, it was 600 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

The National Nuclear Security Administration says the completion of the B53 program's dismantling is a year ahead of schedule. It also aligns with President Barack Obama's goal of reducing the number of nuclear weapons.

Betsy Blaney

Associated Press

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